Jeff Bezos revealed the first life-size mockup of Blue Origin's new lunar lander, named "Blue Moon," during a speech in Washington, D.C. today (May 9).

Blue Origin's lunar lander would ride as a payload on a separate rocket, while SpaceX's Starship is its own self-contained system. Functionally, however, Blue Moon would take on the same role as ...

But Blue Origin doesn't need a NASA contract to launch Blue Moon. The company has already secured paying customers, many of whom were present at the grand unveiling, Bezos said.

Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander destined for a lunar touchdown.

Blue Origin and SpaceX are now racing to land humans back on the moon – with China on their heels, saying they plan to send astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade. https://t.co ...

Blue Origin’s upcoming New Glenn rocket, with its 23-foot-wide (7-meter) fairing, will deliver Blue Moon to low Earth orbit, from where the vehicle will travel to the upcoming lunar Gateway ...

It's not yet clear when that variant might fly. The fully reusable Blue Moon lander will stand about 52 feet tall, fitting inside the 23-foot-wide nose cone of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

Jeff Bezos introduces a new lunar landing module, Blue Moon, during a Blue Origin event in Washington on May 9, 2019. Mark Wilson / Getty Images file ...

Yet Blue Moon is just an early part of a larger plan for Blue Origin. Bezos expects his company, using New Glenn and Blue Moon, to pave a relatively affordable road into space.